Bits n Pieces
If the Cavs don’t trade the top pick more than likely they draft Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel. The backcourt of point guard Kyrie Irving (age 21) and shooting guard Dion Waiters (age 21) is young, set and good. That thought process could change but the question is why draft shooting guard Ben McLemore with the shot blocking potential of 6-11 Noel. I mentioned in the barber shop how bright the future looked for the Cavs. I paused a moment, thought about my statement and then announced-----but they re-hired Mike Brown.

Did you know the Lakers began their existence in Detroit Michigan and not Minneapolis? They began play as the Detroit Gems in the National Basketball League in 1946-47. The team disbanded after a year and was sold to a group who moved the franchise (minus players) to Minneapolis. (NBA.com/index)

Answer this question for me, Tulsa University will join the “new” Big East Conference. In the past Tulsa has always been considered as a “mid-major” school. Once this move becomes official will Tulsa be considered a major? See how our terminology often confuses the issue?

Rupp Arena in Lexington Kentucky accommodates 23,500 fans for basketball. It’s the largest arena in the nation designed exclusively for basketball. A number of individuals might have thought the honor would belong to the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University. The Carrier seats 30,012 for basketball but is a multi-purpose building, the football team plays there as well. (Wikipedia)

Atlanta is the most recent home but not the first for this franchise. The franchise once referred to St. Louis as home and before that it was Milwaukee. The team began life in the NBA as the Tri-City Blackhawks; imagine that a team being shared by three towns.  "Tri-Cities" (Moline, Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa (now the Quad Cities).” The change to Quad Cities came long after the franchise left when the City of Bettendorf Iowa was added. (Wikipedia)

Trey Burke of Michigan has a Kansas City connection; Burke wasn’t born here or never lived here to my knowledge. Columbus (OH) is home for the AP, NABC and Naismith National Player of the Year. The Kansas City connection is on him mom’s side, Ronda was a track athlete at Ruskin High School in the city. His mom attended Northwest Missouri State (Maryville) where she met her future husband Alfonso a basketball player at the school.

You might hear his name in the draft
I don’t know Euro basketball in the same manner as American and Canadian ball. That doesn’t prevent me from dropping a name based on an assessment by an NBA scout(s). At the point his name is announced in the June draft you might ask your buddy; “who’s this guy?” His name is Dario Saric; he’s a 6-10 225 pound small forward from Sibenik Croatia. It’s unfair but sometimes the only method of assessing a player’s talent is to evaluate his game with a familiar player, Saric has been compared to the Bulls Scottie Pippen. In addition to his shooting skill Pippen was a proficient distributor of the basketball. The NBA team drafting him will hope he’s close to that level.

Our northern neighbor
The world realizes hockey at all levels is Canada’s sport. I’m unsure if basketball might have eclipsed Canadian football as the number two sport in the nation. A number of Canadians have played in the NBA in the past so this is not new. What is new is the ever increasing talent migrating from north of the border. We only need to check the pool of players in this years NBA draft, in addition there are other talented players in college and high school. UNLV’s Anthony Bennett is from Brampton, Ontario, Canada and is a projected lottery pick in the 2013 draft. Another projected lottery pick is Kelly Olynyk, who played at Gonzaga; he’s from Kamloops, British Columbia. A possible second round pick is Myck Kabongo who played at Texas; Kabongo is from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Below is a list of the NBA’s Canadian players:

Joel Anthony - Heat
Samuel Dalembert - Bucks
Cory Joseph - Spurs
Kris Joseph - Celtics
Steve Nash - Lakers
Andrew Nicholson - Magic
Robert Sacre - Lakers
Tristan Thompson - Cavs

It’s likely the number one high school prospect in the Class of 2013 Andrew Wiggins will join this group at some future date. Wiggins too is a Canadian hailing from Toronto. There are many others who made the trek south refining their basketball skills at American colleges and universities. While discussing Canadians in the NBA there’s always been a connection north of the border. Although the game of basketball was first played in Springfield (MA) it was Canadian-American James Naismith who devised the game. Just in case you don’t remember the story; Dr. Naismith was attempting to provide exercise for his YMCA class, they had been forced to remain indoors during a brutal New England winter. I located a Canadian basketball website with a wealth of information check out http://northpolehoops.com/